LC3 cement containing limestone and calcined clay and its prospects for Russia
The strategy of substituting clinker by supplementary cementitious materials, SCM appears to be the shortest and less capital-intensive path to sustainability. Introducing calcined clays as SCMs in the Russian cement industry will facilitate the production of cements that can be used in all applications. A preliminary analysis of the geology of clays within the Russian Federation shows that several of the clays identified comply with chemical requirements to be used for the production of calcined clays. These clay deposits are very close to the existing cement plants, thus making commercial operation feasible. The combination of calcined clay and limestone becomes a very attractive choice for clinker replacement in cement. Cements containing calcined clay and limestone can reach performance of a pure Portland cement with only 50% of clinker. The use of calcined clay and limestone as substitutes of clinker induces reductions in carbon emissions in the order of 35-45% compared to benchmark references, with emission figures estimated within 400-500 kg CO2/ton of cement. Embracing the LC3 technology could represent an interesting opportunity for cement companies in the Russian Federation to convert their inefficient clinker kilns to clay calciners, and increase cement production with current clinker availability. The Russian Federation has the necessary resources and the potential in technology to become a world leader in the production of LC3 cement.Author: F. Martirena-Hernandez, F. Arcial-Carratala, R. Almenares-Reyes |
Section: Science and production |
Keywords: calcined clay, supplementary cementitious materials, limestone, LC3, Portland cement, clinker |
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